Hindsight is Always TwentyTwenty
by Sleepyreader13
Summary: Ghosts can be dangerous, especially the ones who have nothing to lose. Heroes are there to protect, but a person can't be every where at once and sometimes people get hurt, badly hurt. Sometime's actions aren't as helpful as they seem. Rated for a reason.


A/N- This is my first time trying to write angst, so if it's not right, bare with me.

Warning- This is rated for a reason. If you don't like violence or details of bad injuries, this isn't for you.

Inspiration- The angsty mood that watching _Shindler's List _put me in and the hit-and-run accident that happened as I was coming home.

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><p>Disclaimer- I don't own Danny Phantom. =[<p>

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><p>"Danny!" Sam's voice felt like it came from behind a wall, I couldn't hear her right. I couldn't hear anything right, not with the ringing, shrill and peircing, in my ears. "Danny, wait!"<p>

I took off, not even bothering to look around, to turn invisible, to do anything. I had to get away, to leave, to forget. It was impossible, but I had to, I couldn't stand the image, the situation. It was my fault, all my fault.

So I flew. The air whipped my hair back and stung my eyes, but I still flew. The buildings passed my me in a blur and the people on the streets where just colors as I flew faster than I ever had before. I felt my legs twist into a tail and I flew even faster, but even with the fresh air whipping through me I couldn't get the smell out of my nose. That sickening smell of burning rubber and fresh blood, of ectoplasm and ozone and fumes, all mixed together to make a scent so horrible it makes you run away. The scent was horrible, but the image was worse.

That woman's face still swam in my head. Her chocolate brown eyes staring listlessly, unseeing. Her honey hair, matted with wet blood and fanning out around her, framing her rapidly paling face. Her mouth, open, a trickle of blood escaping the corner, her bone white teeth stained. Her body-

I dropped to the ground, I hadn't been flying more than ten feet in the air, and emptied the remaining contents of my stomach behind a bush as the image of her mangled body filled my mind, engulfed my senses. Her limbs twisted at odd angles and colored even worse colors.

And then the guilt, I hadn't been able to save her even though I tried. Her death, it was my fault. She had a family, friends, a life, a job, people who loved her, and now she's gone, and it's my fault.

My head spun and I lurched forward, sure that if there had been anything else in my stomach it wouldn't be there now.

I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, only to find it was coming away wet with tears. I hadn't realized it wasn't just the speed that was blurring my vision, and now that I knew I couldn't stop the tears from coming, couldn't stop them from bringing a sob out of me.

The grass was cool under me, and I hadn't realized I was in the park til I leaned back and rested against the park bench behind me. I closed my eyes, barely able to see through the tears anyway, and images of the last few hour flashed through my mind.

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><p><em>The air around us was hot, but the calm breeze made it comfortable and I could smell the familiar smell of fast food on its currents. The scenery was calm, there hadn't been a fight today, and I was being lazy. Sam's hand was the only thing pulling me along at anything faster than a walk, and I wasn't complaining, not when every nerve-ending in my fingers were hyper aware of every small movement of her fingers intertwined with mine. Every time she'd squeeze my fingers or her palm would twist in my grip I would get chills running up and down my arm, so when she suddenly stopped, I didn't run over top of her. <em>

_I'm glad I didn't. She turned to face me, her small fingers gripping mine as she looked at me. She smiled, an expression that made my knees weak, and her eyes lit up. _

_ "Hey, Danny?" she said, her voice full of innocence. _

_ "Yeah?"_

_ She stepped closer. "Let's fly."_

_ She knew I loved to fly, and it was even better when I could fly with her. I sent her a grin, letting go of her hand and darting behind a tree. The two rings of light flashed briefly and I floated out to her, taking one hand to sweep hair out of my eyes. _

_ I held out my hands and she took them, my powers washing though her and she floated with me. I sent her another smile before pulling us farther up, and then moving myself so even if she didn't share my power I would be supporting her. I looked at her, she was smiling and I couldn't tell if it was because of the absolutely amazing feeling that flying gives you or if it was the fact that my arms were wrapped around her. I really hoped it was the second one._

_ I flew us forward, sent her a cheeky grin, and shot straight upward into a cloud._

_ "Danny!" Sam shouted, right in my ear, and I laughed as we cleared the cloud._

_ "Yes?" I responded, sending her a cheeky smile. _

_ "Why, exactly, did you feel the need to soak me?" She asked, a mock glare on her face. _

_ I didn't answer, I just unhooked one of my arms from around her and used the now free hand to wipe the water off of her face. She huffed, but smiled. We stayed there like that, just floating around in the sky for a while, just enjoying each other's company, but then she shivered. I looked down, her arms had goosebumps and when I looked back at her face she sent me an apologetic look. _

_ "Not all of us are temperature resistant." She said, shivering again. _

_ "I'm sorry! I didn't think it would be cold!" She shook her head, a small smile in place as I started to fly us down. _

_ I turned us intangible, letting the water fall off of us as we passed through the trees and out into the open. I didn't know where we were exactly, I hadn't been paying attention back when she was leading, but I did know that this was one of the back roads and we weren't that far from town. _

_ "Sam, I-" I cut myself off, my ghost sense going off as I dropped us to the ground. _

_ She didn't answer, just turned around and looked for the ghost. _

_ The sound of tires on pavement made me look up the road, and, sure enough, there was a car headed our way. We stepped back farther away from the road and I watched as the car came closer. I went invisible- it wouldn't do for Phantom to be seen with Fenton's girlfriend in the middle of no where- and let go of Sam's hand. _

_ Just as the car neared us I spotted him. Flying just over the car was a ghost, one I hadn't ever seen before. He hadn't been manifested for long, his appearance was still wispy and slightly transparent, but the look on his face made me want to run. He was looking down at the car with some kind of sick glee, a sadistic smile twisting his scarred face. He moved down the same time I moved forward, but he was faster. He flew into the hood of the car as I flew toward the road. _

_ I threw myself forward as the car came near us, but he had already been in the car for a few seconds, and that's all he needed. I heard a scream, shrill and terrified, as the ghost grabbed the woman behind the wheel, he had her hands pinned and he was smirking that evil grin that made my blood boil. I went intangible, throwing myself into the car and at the ghost, tearing him off her and out of the car. _

_ He let out a yell as we collided with a tree, but I didn't let go. I let my powers surge through me, making ecto-chains form around his hand and ankles, restraining his struggling form to the tree. _

_ I turned, going to fly after the woman to see if she was okay, only to find myself face to face with a disaster. _

_ It was in slow motion, and I saw it all as I flew forward, wanting to prevent it and knowing I couldn't. I watched, flying to help but too late, as her car veered off course, still going full speed, and slammed straight into the rock wall beside the road. The sound was like an explosion, crushing my eardrums as I flew forward, even as I watched the car fold together like a can being stepped on. And then, with a whooshing sound, it ignited. Flames sprung to life from the car, and it was all I could do not to be blasted backwards by the heat._

_ Over everything, the sounds of the car, Sam's screaming, I heard a laugh, high pitched and cruel, like he had just gotten every present he had ever wanted and destroyed everyone else's in the process. I felt the pull on my power as the ghost still chained to the tree struggled, but he wasn't getting out, I was going to make sure of that._

_ I flew forward, letting my hands glow blue and then bathing everything in the icy light, extinguishing the flames as fast as they had formed. I knew it was useless, I had watched as the car had crushing inward, into her, but I still couldn't help flying forward and pulling the door to the driver's seat open. I had to wrench the door clean off it's hinges to get it open, but I finally did, only to be met with a sight worse than the crash. _

_ I could still hear the ghost laughing, laughing like a maniac and a madman, if he could even be called a man. Looking at this woman, I wanted to tear him apart. _

_ Somehow I managed to get her out of the car, but it wasn't much of a use. I could feel it under my fingers as I lowered her onto the pavement, her heart wasn't beating. I heard a siren coming closer, and I loved Sam even more in that moment. She had kept her head, she had called an ambulance, and I didn't have the heart or the will to look at her and tell her that the woman was already gone. _

_ Not when I could have saved her. _

_ Sam hadn't approached, hadn't come close to the site, and when I looked back I could see the tears in her eyes as she looked at the body on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her. She looked at me, but I couldn't look back at her. _

_ I looked down at the woman, I wanted to try CPR, but I didn't know if it would help or just worsen her injuries even further. _

_ I lowered myself beside her, but just as I reached forward to try and help, maybe CPR or just stanching the bleeding, I felt the tugging at the restrains become a fierce pounding and another laugh. _

_I rose, stepping away from the car, the woman, and toward the person who caused this. He was smiling, most of his teeth were missing, and looking at the car as if this is all he wanted to do in his after life. _

_ I was going to make sure it was._

_ I felt my power flare, and I let the restrains tying him to the tree fall. He floated there, still smiling, still laughing, as I let my hands charge with energy._

_"Do you have any idea at what you just did?" I demanded. _

_ He laughed again. "Oh, that?" he sneered. "She had it coming."_

_ "Did she?" I asked, trying and failing to keep my voice from rising. "And what did she do?"_

_ "She lived." he said, laughing again._

_ I felt my anger spike, and I had no idea what I looked like to him or Sam, but I watched as he suddenly shrank back. _

_ "Did she deserve to die? What did she do to you that gave you reason to do this?" I pointed to the car and the body lying beside it. "Did she ever cause any harm to any-"_

_ He cut me off by firing a blast at me. That set me off. I had no idea why it did, but it did. I felt my power surge though me, through my hands and then at him. He pulled a shield, barely deflecting the shots I fired at him, and then laughed as I glared at him. _

_ "What's it to you?" he laughed as he threw another blast at me. _

_ She hadn't been anything to me, but she was everything to someone else. She could've been what Sam is to me to someone, could've been the reason someone got up and smiled every morning, and now she was gone. This thought made me angry all over again, and he never got the chance to say anything else._

_"She's dead!" The ghost fired another blast at me. _

_ "Because of you!" I yelled, throwing shots at him while he tried and failed to dodge._

_ "Yes, but boy, you could've saved her!" he yelled, seemingly delighted with himself as he saw the impact this made on me. _

_ I could've saved her. I could have left the ghost and saved her, but I didn't. I could've-_

_ But, he was still the one to cause this. _

_ I looked at him, took a deep breath, and let out a Ghostly Wail. The trees around my shuddered and some even fell, but I wasn't looking as the leaves around me flew around, I was looking at the ghost who had just stolen someone's life for no reason. I looked as his form flickered as the waves of power hit him, and eventually he disappeared. He would re-manifest, but it would take years after what I just did, and I knew I couldn't do any more._

_ The sirens were close, and soon they rounded the corner. Sam hadn't said anything since we had landed, but she looked at me. She knew words weren't needed, or wanted for that matter. I stood there as the nurses got out of the ambulance and surrounded the woman. _

_ His words ran over and over in my mind. **You could've saved her. You could have saved her.**_

_ I couldn't stand it, the sight of the woman who didn't deserve to die, the looks Sam kept giving me that I didn't know the meaning to, or the words, racing over and over again through my mind. _

_ My ears were ringing, my head was pounding, and I took off. _

_ "Danny!" It was the first time she had said anything since I spotted the ghost, and I couldn't even hear her right. _

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><p>"Danny! Danny!"<p>

I didn't realize it was actually Sam calling me until she physically shook me.

I automatically reached up and wiped my face with my hand. I wiped the sleep and leftover tears from my face, not meeting her eyes as she watched me. I couldn't meet her eyes, couldn't face it if she blamed me. I needed to know though, needed to know if she hated me.

"Sam?" I croaked.

"Yeah?" She lowered herself down beside me, our shoulders brushing.

"What happened after I," I paused, hanging my head. "what happened after I left?"

I felt her eyes on my face, but I didn't look up. "They took the body. She died to impact. I told them about that ghost, the one who tampered with her car, they don't blame you." She finished the rest so softly if I didn't have enhanced hearing I wouldn't have caught it. "And neither do I."

"Sam," I started, but she wouldn't let me finish. I looked up.

"No, listen Danny. I know what you're feeling, you think this is your fault. It isn't. That ghost was the one who tampered with her car, he was the one that caused her to drive into that wall. It isn't your fault." she finished forcefully. She was looking at me, her eyes boring a hole into my face.

"But, that ghost was right, I could've saved her. I could've knocked him out of the car and then got her out. I could've stopped the car. I could've done twenty other things that could have saved that woman's life!" I said, feeling the tears start up again. I felt the shame well up in me, and it had nothing to do with her seeing me cry.

"But, Danny, it could have been even worse if you had done those things. What if-" I cut her off.

"Worse" How in the worlds could it have been worse?" I demanded. "That woman died, Sam. I don't see how it could've been worse!"

I figured she would've yelled, blamed me after I finally laid out the facts for her, but she just looked at me with that same understanding look. "What if you had saved that one person and not restrained that ghost and then that ghost went out and caused this to twenty people? What if he hadn't been dealt with? He could've easily killed thirty people, for no reason."

It didn't sound right, it didn't feel right. The guilt was still there, making it hard for me to meet Sam's eyes.

When I didn't respond, she started again, this time softer, "Danny, what if you hadn't restrained that ghost and he was still out to kill? What if one of the people he killed was me?"

I looked up, finally meeting her eyes. That understanding look was still there, but there was pain in it too. She knew how I felt, what this was doing to me.

"Hindsight's twenty-twenty, Danny. You did what you thought was best at the time. You could've saved more people than you know by doing what you did."

"Sam," I started, but she cut me off again.

"You can't change it, you can't go back and save her, and you made sure she didn't die in vain. You made sure that ghost wasn't going to hurt anyone any time soon, right? You've saved lives, Danny. You can't change what happened, just make sure you're there to save the other lives in the future."

I looked up at her, into her understanding gaze, and nodded.

That woman's face would always haunt me, always make me wonder if I could have saved her, if I could have done anything more, but the fact that I might've done more good than harm would always be there with the image, telling me that Sam was right and maybe I did save lives.

That is just one of the reasons why I loved her.

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><p>I don't know how I did on this... I really hope I got it right.<p>

Oh, the ghost was based of off Amon Goethe from _Shindler's List._

And, at the end, I couldn't let the whole thing be angst.


End file.
